DAVAO CITY – The Davao City government and a popular fastfood company on Tuesday inked a memorandum of agreement for a work opportunity program for senior citizens here.

Assistant floor leader and head of the Committee on Housing, Rural, and Urban Development (Socialized Housing Projects), Councilor Diosdado Angelo Mahipus Jr. led the Davao City Council at the signing of the agreement at the Sangguniang Panlungsod.

Mahipus said the signing of the agreement affirms the community’s shared need to care for senior citizens who have given their best years in service to their families, the city, and the country.

He thanked McDonald’s, the Public Employment Service Office, and the Department of Labor and Employment-11, saying that opening their doors to older people extends “dignity, respect, and appreciation” beyond privileges and discounts.

Mahipus, former chairman of the Committee on Ethics and Good Government, passed a proposal last year entitled “To Promote the Policy Providing Work Opportunities for our Senior Citizens of the City of Davao.”

The councilor has long emphasized that Davao City must open more work opportunities for the city's senior citizens and that the city will promote this policy by providing incentives to the private sector partners.

He credited City Mayor Sebastian Duterte for supporting the program and ensuring city policies focus on growth and people. Mahipus said the city’s success depends on economic development and valuing every generation.

Duterte, in a message read by Councilor Enzo Villafuerte of the Committee on Social Services, said the partnership recognizes that many retired Davaoeños are still strong and healthy and deserve the opportunity to remain productive.

“With this work opportunity, our senior citizens can supplement their retirement income and maintain their physical and mental health, as they still wish to be active members of the community and still want to provide for their families,” Duterte said.

Tess Domingo, McDonald’s Philippines director for Talent Acquisition, HR Business Partnering, and People System Human Capital Group, said the company is committed to hiring 110 senior citizens nationwide starting this year.

Domingo said that the company, which employs more than 70,000 people nationwide—including over 2,000 in Davao region—practices direct hiring and does not engage in contractualization.

Austin Torres, senior public affairs manager of McDonald’s, said that the initiative, the first of its kind in Mindanao, will allow qualified elderly residents to work in McDonald’s stores in Davao City under a five-month employment program.

Torres said senior citizens will render four-hour shifts and go through the same hiring and compensation process as regular crew members of their stores in Davao City.

Senior citizens in Davao City welcomed the initiative, Lorenzo Borja, head of the Office of Senior Citizens Affairs, said. He confirmed that some senior citizens havebalready inquired about the matter.

Borja said the city has over 200,000 senior citizens and nearly half have expressed interest in the program. He added that applicants up to age 70 may qualify if they meet requirements, with priority given to those without jobs.

Fifty-two-year-old Rowena Estinope, of the Buhangin District, said that though she has not reached 60 yet, she is grateful that the city government has this opportunity that allows senior citizens to continue helping their families.

“We are delighted that we now have the chance to work again through this government program. As a grandmother supporting my grandchildren, this will greatly help us,” said 68-year-old Wenifreda Avelino of Barangay Communal.

McDonald’s Philippines noted senior employees will be assigned customer-facing roles to enhance the dining experience. They affirmed that the program, piloted in Luzon, is set for expansion to other areas in Mindanao.